What if SCORPIA's first mission for Alex was to be a spy in M16? Cub/K-Unit

¬ Last One Standing ¬
Chapter One:
Return

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Anthony Horrowitz's characters. Here's just an ordinary 14 year old girl wishing she does. Hope you enjoy the story!

How long had it been? Five months? Six? He wasn't sure. Since he had started this insanity. Since he had betrayed the only person that had ever cared for him- Jack.

Since that moment he had nodded his head, accepted the offer and sealed the deal; he had sealed in his own fate as well. There was his black and white path laid before him, filled with nothing but hate and fear. And those people that tried to love and care for him just got hurt.

There was once, he had to go through another one of their mental training lessons. He had been given a piece of paper and a pencil, then was asked to draw or describe his ex- guardian, Jack Starbright, as detailed as he could. He remembered feeling puzzled, and it turned into a chilling cold as he racked his brain, trying to remember her face, her favorite colors, her mannerisms, and found nothing.

Nothing.

For the past fourteen years, fourteen! He just let her slip through his fingers.

He couldn't even remember much of her anymore. There was a vague feeling of warmth as he called upon the details of her red hair and irritated expression, yet as he focused on her face, the memory of her simply slipped out of his grasps. His brain seemed to completely fail him; he just stared blankly at the paper, and wrote down 'red hair'. When asked about her eye color, he strained his memory to remember, and when he found nothing, gave an excuse of never paying attention to her eyes before.

What was her favorite food?

Never bothered to ask.

Any particulalar mannerisms?

She used to sing very loudly. Or was it whistling?

His teacher had told him it was nothing to be embarassed about; praised him even, for achieving such a great success.

"Few can forget the people they love," he had said to Alex, his pride unmistakable. "Even after intensive training. Not even Miss Rothman, as you know. That is why you are remarkable, Rider."

Praises were rarely given, and normally Alex would have found a small twinge of pride if he were to receive it; but this time, it only served to make him guilty, and for the first time since he accepted SCORPIA's offer, he began to regret his decision.

Few weeks after that, he had been declared dead; his supposed body was found laid on the doorstep of the M16 Headquarters as a warning. It was bloody and multiliated beyong recognization, and of course Alex had supplied the blood sample. It didn't hurt that SCORPIA had bribed the team of doctors sent to investigate on that matter.

Not long after, his funeral followed; and despite the many dangers- he knew he shouldn't have done it- he went to attend his own funeral. He was surpised by the number of students from Brookland who turned up. It felt weird attending his own funeral. When Tom went forwards, his face teary yet determined as he stuttered a 'thank you for being my friend', he had to turn to hide his face; but when Jack finally stumbled up, last, he turned and walked away, breaking into a run soon after that.

The only two people that cared for him in the world. All hurt. Because of him. Even for revenge, was it the right path for him to take?

Usually, that single twinge of doubt could be soothed by a fight; shooting lessons, even- but that night, nightmares of his past plagued him again, and Alex had never felt weaker in his life.

Today was it; that day he'd step out of his shell and rewrite history. The day to prove what he was capable of, get the revenge he craved for.

Alex Rider was coming back.

Liverpool Street; M16 Headquarters

"... this is not the issue!" a woman's voice was saying sternly.

"Yes it is," insisted another man irritably. "I demand the right to know why SCORPIA just decided to call off the bloody Invisible Sword business six months ago! How do you know that they aren't just toying with our minds, let down our guard then strike?"

"I told you, we made a deal with them," replied Mrs. Jones with ill concealed patience.

"There is no such thing as a deal that can put off SCORPIA!" declared the man firmly. "They care much for reputation and money, and-"

"How we managed it is not your concern," said Mrs. Jones coldly. "If you have not other questions, you may leave."

The man stood up in a huff and made a great display of brushing down his coat before he stalked out of the door and slammed it shut.

"I hope that was the last of him," remarked a dry voice at the doorway.

Blunt did not even look up. "Wolf," he said. "Come in."

Wolf, Captain of the K- Unit team strode briskly into Blunt's office and sat down. "You sent for me, Mr. Blunt?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Mrs. Jones instead as she pushed her papers aside. "We have a problem we hope you can help us solve. You see, during SCORPIA's attack, G and J unit were sent in to fight the SCORPIA soldiers. However, despite all the money and training we invested, they never stood 10 seconds, much less a chance. As a result, we lost more than half our people, and we are in urgent need of more competent soldiers."

Wolf nodded. "Understandable."

"Mr. Crawley has informed me of all the units' training and your unit has achieved the most remarkable results. That is why we'd like you to handpick a few more competent members and train them. We have arranged a few interviewing sessions scheduled a week from now."

"What?" blustered Wolf. "Handpick, Mrs. Jones?"

"Yes, Wolf," said Mrs. Jones. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"What difference would that make?" muttered Wolf darkly, mentally preparing himself for the worst.

"You are going to prepare for the aural interview as well as the physical tests," reminded Mrs. Jones. "Remember, your judge must be fair and just at all times."

"Yes, yes," muttered Wolf. Already, he could tell how much trouble lay in store. He couldn't have been more right.

Aural Interview; A Week Later

However much Wolf had prepared himself for the interview, he still couldn't rein in his temper. The first man that strode in for the interview had already sent his blood boiling.

He was a twenty- five year old man, and had started applying to become an SAS soldier since three years back, but never got the position as he was a complete novice at martial arts. Wolf thought the man was a complete idiot. It wasn't easy to pass the test; and the man certainly had a lot of guts to apply for the position when he didn't even know how to fight.

This time, Josh Abrams, the first lucky one to meet Wolf, strode in confidently, wearing white robes and a green belt. He smiled proudly at Wolf, causing the the K- Unit captain to scowl deeply. Worse still, he decided to walk in with his arms folded. He smirked deeply and announced loudly, "I'm here to serve the country! Accept my fiery spirit, so we can carry out our noble deeds side-by- side as the best of brothers!"

He looked hopefully at Wolf for agreement or confirmation, but he was greatly disappointed.

"What the hell was that baloney?" Wolf shot at him before he could stop himself. "And what do you think you are wearing?"

"This is my Taekwando uniform," said the man arrogantly. "I'm a green belt now."

Wolf raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Do you have more advanced training in other forms of martial arts?"

The man's proud smile vanished, to be replaced by an irritated frown. "No. Why, just how many forms of blo-"

"Can you stand in a one- to- one combat, then?" asked Wolf, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

The man thought to himself for a moment before nodding. "Of course, if my opponent is also a green belt, I suppose I could beat him. I'm good, you know," he said, with a lack of modesty.

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Do you have other specialized training, besides that? Like archery, sword- fighting, or- "

"Yes!" exclaimed Abrams, flexing his barely existent muscles. "I passed my piano diploma course with a distinction. The certificates are all here." He produced a large sheaf of paper.

"No, I do not think that is necessary," began Wolf, but Josh pushed the papers into this hands. "This is my collection- every single prize, award and competition I ever entered. Please do take a look."

'This is utterly ridiculous,' thought Wolf, staring at a certificate dated twenty years ago, awarding Josh Abrams a bronze medal for Kidlands Academy's Spelling Bee Competition. Trying to keep Mrs. Jones advice in his mind- 'Keep a civil tongue in you during the interview, Wolf- rudeness is not tolerated', Wolf inhaled deeply and grimaced at Josh Abrams.

"Your fiery spirit is much appreciated, but I'm sorry, but you just do not qualify as an SAS soldier. Come back after you have at least risen to a red belt Taekwando member, and we may reconsider you." Wolf waved his hand in dismissal.

The man's face contorted with rage. He inhaled a lot of air and screamed a single sound as he lurched forwards- "NO!"

Wolf smirked. "Yes." He pressed a red button, and the wall behind him immediately parted to reveal a secret room. A highly amused Snake and Eagle stepped forwards and grabbed Josh Abrams' arms in an iron grip, then steered him towards the door.

Wolf leaned back and smiled to himself. No sooner than that, another man strode in. He had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes which seemed to bore into him. And much to Wolf's irritation, he was also wearing a self- satisfied smirk.

"What now?" Wolf finally snapped.

The man's smirk deepened. "I must remind you, the interviewer must keep a civil tongue in his head at all times."

Wolf nearly burst a vein. Nearly. Instead, he inhaled a large amount of air again to cool himself. Then he looked up questioningly at the man.

"How old are you?" he asked, his surprise genuine.

The man cocked an eyebrow in his direction, then pointed to the paper Wolf was holding. Trying hard not to blush, Wolf cleared his throat to cover up his embarassment.

"Right- you are Alexei Gerald, twenty years old?"

Alexei cocked his head to one side in acknowledgement.

"Are you advanced in other forms of martial arts besides-...," Wolf broke off as he read 'karate dan' in the form. "Oh. Do you have other specialized training, besides what is written in the form?"

"Qualified diver, climber, parachuter, BASE jumper, archer, swimmer and acrobat," said Alexei, listing them off his fingers with an evident smirk playing on his lips. "Need any more?"

Wolf's eyebrows shot higher another notch at every single thing Alexei listed.

"Proof?" asked Wolf irritably, stretching out his hand.

Alexei's smirk deepened. "I thought those weren't necessary?"

Alexei was staring at the large sheaf of papers in his hand. Wolf cursed. They were Josh Abram's stack of accumulated certificates.

"Certificates can be forged easily, Captain," said Alexei, his gaze taunting. "Anyway, that's what M16 is about, isn't it? Finding out the truth? You can go investigate about my background, find the proof yourself."

"It's obvious you aren't here for the interview," said Wolf, putting away Alexei's paper.

"You're right, I'm not," replied Alexei, his gaze penetrating as ever.

"Then why be here?" spluttered Wolf.

"Send my regards to Mr. Blunt," said Alexei, walking towards the door. "And tell him, the horse is back for his rider."

Alexei left, leaving Wolf sitting at his desk, a complete blank in his mind. It was only after some time when he managed to shout half- heartedly at the empty doorway- "Claptrap! Twaddle! Baloney!" but no one was there to hear him, except a highly amused Eagle.

"So how did the interview go?" asked Mrs. Jones as soon as Wolf seated himself, still rubbing his throbbing his head.

"It was a complete disaster," said Wolf, staring into space as he took in more deep breaths.

"Was there a problem?" asked Mrs. Jones, still rifling through her papers.

"Of course there was a problem!" fumed Wolf, striding about blindly in the office. "Never in my entire life have I been treated so- "

"As you may know, I am quite busy Wolf, so if you would get to the point, it would be greatly appreciated," said Mrs. Jones, cutting across his rant.

"Right. Sorry." Wolf added grudgingly. "The first guy was a complete idiot, and the second guy came in to belittle me. I asked him if he came for the interview at all, and he said no, he was just here to send his regards to Mr. Blunt."

Mrs. Jones' eyebrows snapped together. "What?"

"I thought it was weird, because he wasn't supposed to know that- but that's what he said," said Wolf.

"Did he say anything else about Mr. Blunt?" Mrs. Jones asked sharply.

"Well, I don't rightly remember with the horse and rider baloney..." started Wolf, but Mrs. Jones put down her pen and looked at him sternly in the eye.

"What was his name?"

"Alexei Gerald," replied Wolf, who had no problem remembering the infrutiating guy's name. "Twenty years old, although his voice didn't seem to break yet."

Mrs. Jones frowned.

"He told me to tell Mr. Blunt something about a horse is back for his rider," growled Wolf. "Some lame bit of poetry. He said he was a qualified diver, BASE jumper, acrobat and what not, but when asked for qualifications, he told me to find out myself. Said it was what M16 did, anyway."

But Mrs. Jones wasn't listening. "That's not possible," was all she said, before turning to leave the office. Before Wolf could actually come to the main point of telling her that only six out of thirty eight men had qualified for the physical test, Mrs. Jones was already out through the door.

Which left Wolf feeling all the more humiliated and annoyed than before.

The following week; M16 Headquarters- Mr. Blunt's office: 8.00 a.m.

"All the preparations are ready. We're going to officially introduce the six new members. Three of them are going to J Unit, the other three to L Unit."

Wolf finished his report and looked up.

"Seven new members," corrected Mrs. Jones, casting a severe eye on him. "We made a new addition three weeks ago. You should have at least read the documents, Wolf, soldier or not."

Wolf consulted the list again, and found the six members he had hand- picked. However, the next name on his list sent his stomach plummeting with dread.

"No! Not that Alexei guy!" exclaimed Wolf. His expression would have been very comical, if the two other people sitting in the office hadn't been totally humourless. Eagle, who was standing by Wolf's side, had to bite back a laugh.

"It gets worse," he muttered, just loud enough for Wolf to hear.

Wolf traced a finger down the line, and found Alexei Gerald assigned to K Unit.

"I- I cannot accept this... I mean, this is utterly ridiculous! That guy is nothing but a peacock. He isn't even mature enough! I suspect he's some dare devil kind of kid who thinks he can rule the world, so he faked his age and came striding in for the interview."

"We have checked his background, as he suggested us to, and we find him perfectly suitable," said Mrs. Jones, the barest hint of a twinkle in her black eyes.

"No he is not," shot back Wolf immediately. "Oh come on, just how dumb can M16 get?"

"It is our decision to make," said Mrs. Jones decidedly, her tone suddenly more severe. "And I would add that you'd better keep a civil tongue in your head, especially towards your seniors, or I'll be forced to terminate your badge and have Alexei as Captain instead."

"Not going to happen," growled Wolf, who always had little tact. It didn't help that he could never control his tongue before the words fell from it.

Mrs. Jones raised her eyebrows. "Alright then, it shall be settled. Alexei Gerald will take over-"

"No, I'm still his Captain!" said Wolf loudly, but hurriedly. "I- apologise."

"Good to know you acknowledge him as your junior now," said Mrs. Jones pleasantly. "I'm sure we need not worry more. You may leave. Your hard work these days is appreciated."

Wolf nearly snorted. Hard work was an understatement. Before he could say anything else, however, Eagle had clamped his hand tightly on his elbow and steered him forcefully to the door.

Which was a wrong decision to make, as it turned out- for Alexei Gerald was standing in the doorway. He nodded respectfully in Wolf and Eagle's direction, but it was clear that he was smirking.

"As you probably remember, I'm Alexei Gerald," said Alexei, extending a hand to Wolf. "I received the letter only three days ago. Honoured to be assigned to your unit."

Wolf shot him a glowering look. Eagle's behaviour towards Alexei was also pretty cold, but at least he responded. "This is our K Unit Captain, Wolf. I'm Eagle."

Alexei smiled a smile that never reached his eyes. "Good to meet you too, Captain."

"We don't go on first name basis," continued Eagle, still eyeing Alexei coldly. "Your Unit name, or the name you will be known as for the rest of your career will be decided by Wolf."

"You'll be Horse!" burst Wolf fiercely, as though daring Alexei to object. "What with your horse and rider baloney, I think 'Horse' will suit you perfectly. What do you think?" he sneered.

"Wow, that was simply beautiful!" exclaimed Alexei, his sarcarsm barely contained. "You really have a good taste for that kind of thing. You write poetry?"

"No!" yelled Wolf. "No, I don't write trash. And since I'm already Captain over you, although the formal introduction ceremony is still a day's time away, you should- no, you will treat me with great respect, or you will be suspended before you even start your career. Get me?"

"Yes sir," said Alexei, bowing slightly. He kept his head lowered as they passed him by. When he looked up again, they were already gone.

Round the corner, Wolf held out a hand, stopping Eagle.

"Promise me one thing," he said, a peculiar glint in his eye. "Make that bastard's life hell."

Eagle grinned. "That's my speciality."

A/N: What do you think of chapter one? It's not as long as I hoped it would be, but I thought the next scene at camp would only be more appropriate in the next chapter. I promise it'll be longer.

Please drop me a thought!

Thanks for reading; take care,
Epsilon Scorpii